Material Insights: Dec. 3, 2012

December 3, 2012

November price increases for PP and PET bottle resin in North America are featured in this week's Material Insights video. Regional PP prices climbed an average of 4 cents per pound in November and now are up a total of 7 cents per pound since Sept. 1. For PET bottle resin, a 2-cent per-pound increase in November increased the three-month increase total to 9 cents. Both increases were tied into tightness and higher prices for feedstocks. A hefty fine against specialty chemicals maker Dover Chemical Corp. also is featured in this week’s video. The Dover, Ohio-based firm has been fined $545,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for alleged safety violations at its Dover plant that makes antioxidants, flame retardants and other materials used as additives in plastics and rubber. The video wraps up with news that DuPont Co. and Invista each are expanding their plastic research labs in Delaware. DuPont is installing a nine-layer blown film line at its lab in Wilmington, while Invista has completed a 20 percent expansion at its 60,000-square-foot applied research center lab in Newark.